Low-noise broadband light generation from optical fibers for use in high-resolution optical coherence tomography.

Broadband light generation from a single-mode optical fiber was developed for high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT). No noise amplification was observed for light broadened by self-phase modulation. The investigation showed that the intensity noise of light broadened by self-phase modulation in a single-mode optical fiber was much lower than that of continuum light from a microstructure fiber (MSF). The spectral width of a femtosecond input laser pulse was successfully broadened by a factor of 11, and a coherence length of 3.7 microm was achieved with this source. The application of light broadened by a single-mode optical fiber and MSF was compared for use in OCT imaging. The results showed that a single-mode fiber with a small core diameter is a useful way to generate low-noise, broadband light for high-resolution OCT imaging.